'The Iceman' Wim Hof shares his remarkable life story and powerful method for supercharging your health and happiness. Refined over forty years and championed by scientists across the globe, you'll learn how to harness three key elements of Cold, Breathing and Mindset to take ownership over your own mind and wellbeing.
Wim Hof is widely celebrated for his astounding achievements, breaking world records withstanding extreme temperatures and running barefoot marathons over deserts and ice fields. Most of all, he's shown us that these feats are not superhuman - but that all of us have the ability to be stronger, healthier and happier than we've ever imagined.
My notes
>> Things to Investigate More Thoroughly >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>|
> Hormetic Stress
> Strong intention + directed attention
> The author, upon making peace with being different, further became more
different and became more fulfilled because of it. "I was a sensitive boy. I
learned to develop my own way."
> The benefits of waking up into doing push-ups. The author would do fifty each
morning before starting their day.
> Cycling through Europe
>> Propositions to consider >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>|
> The things that make us more comfortable in fact make us weaker.
> Nature stimulates, develops, and sharpens children's senses. Many children in
contemporary society miss out on that, which contributes to
ADHD, depression, and others.
> Within all of us we have a sacred spot, once you can access this 'core-self'
you become aware of your own light, your own being, your own purpose.
> Everyone should allot a chapter of their life to living free, even if only as
a sabbatical. Retreat from society, detach from the rules, morals, and ethics
and be free. During this period, express your self.
> The will is a neurological muscle, but if our biochemistry isn't right, it
cannot do very much.
> Contemporary society has us living in narrow narratives, we get conditioned.
Our minds cycle the same thought patterns, and unduly stress us and prevent
our minds from performing optimally.
> Our educational system is not focused on happiness, strength, health, or
self-control. (Thus our society is plagued with depressed, weak, unhealthy,
and impulsive people)
> We are the alchemists, and we are built to be in command of our own soul,
light, spirit, and life.
> If you engage too much in outside
validation, you lose the path to yourself. You get off course. Self-love is
being proud of yourself by your own lights. What is your best? Move toward
that, not the best of your neighbors. Back yourself. Care for yourself. Not by
protecting your ego, no, but by remaining present for your being when you feel
most afraid, most uncomfortable, or awkward. Be calm in your love for yourself
It will enable you to see others more clearly and with more compassion. Don’t
seek to change others; change yourself. Just mind your own mind and let others
mind theirs. Show them who you are through your actions, through your
conviction. Be clear and transparent, vulnerable. If I cared what others
thought of me, I would have stopped going a long time ago. I would have been
eaten by the system.
> We don't have to accept the world the way it is if it doesnt respect the soul
:: WoP ::
> No ego. We go.
>> Practical Applications >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>|
:: Daily: Cold Showers ::
Week 1: 30 Seconds of cold water at the end of a warm shower
Week 2: 60 Seconds of cold water at the end of a warm shower
Week 3: 90 Seconds of cold water at the end of a warm shower
Week 4: 120 Seconds of cold water at the end of a warm shower
Week 5: Cold showers exclusively
Simply by taking cold showers each day, you work out your cardiovascular
system. With a stronger cardiovascular system you decrease your resting heart
rate. With a slower heart-rate, less stress. With less stress, more peace. And
with more peace, a more direct connection to your soul and life-force.
Cold is a stressor. By going into it and controlling your response, by not
shivering and gasping, you are exercising your ability to control your response
to stress, all kinds of stress, not just the cold.
:: Daily: Before Breakfast Breathing ::
Oxygen is food for our brain. By breathing deeply for 20 minutes each morning
you give your mind a great morning meal. The trigger for breathing is an acidic
state in your blood, through this deep breathing you make your blood alkalized.
Through this steady alkalized state you enter a physiological state where you
have more neurological control and connection with your self and spirit.
1 Sit in a meditation posture, lying down, or whichever way is most
comfortable for you, in a quiet and safe environment. Make sure you can expand
your lungs freely without feeling any constriction.
2 Close your eyes and try to clear your mind. Be conscious about your breath
and try to fully connect with it. Take thirty to forty deep breaths in through
the nose or mouth. Fill up your belly, your chest, all the way up to your head
Don't force the exhale. Just relax and let the air out. Fully in, letting go.
3 At the end of the last breath, draw the breath in once more and fill the
lungs to maximum capacity without using any force. Then relax to let the air
out. Hold the breath until you feel the urge to breathe again. This is called
the retention phase.
4 When you feel the urge to breathe, take one deep breath in and hold it for
ten to fifteen seconds. This is called the recovery breath.
5 Let your breath go and start with a new round. Fully in, letting go.
Repeat the full cycle three to four times.
After having completed this breathing exercise, take your time to enjoy the
feeling. With repeated practice, this protocol becomes more and more like a
meditation.
Once you have a little experience with the basic breathing exercise, try this
additional technique: In round 2, step 4, try “squeezing” the breath to your
head when you take your recovery breath. You do this by tensing your pelvic
floor and directing that sense of tension to the core of your body and up to
your head, while keeping the rest of your body relaxed. You should feel a
sense of pressure in your head. Then relax everything when you exhale.
:: WHM PROTOCOL: BASIC MINDSET EXERCISE ::
The greatest accomplishment you can achieve is stillness of the mind. It is only
when your mind is still that you can go from external to internal programming.
In the absence of thoughts, this stillness brings your feelings into alignment
with your innermost being, reflecting the true self in a direct mirror. This is
how I was able to set all of my records, and you can do it too.
First, take a step away and find a comfortable place to sit down. Then begin to
follow the breath.
Deeply in, letting go.
Deeply in, letting go.
Peacefully following the breath.
Deeply in, letting go.
Deeply in, letting go.
A sense of calm will begin to settle over you, and it is in this moment that you
can set your mind. Begin to scan your body while visualizing what it is you are
going to do. Perhaps you want to stay longer in the cold shower or achieve a new
personal record for push-ups. Maybe you want to hold a particularly challenging
yoga pose or take a longer bike ride than you ever have before. Now is the time
to scan your body and set your intention. Take your time with it. Tell your body
what you expect it to do. Scan yourself for how you feel. You will be able to
detect any misalignment of your intention and your body’s feeling. Just remain
calm, keep breathing, and wait for the moment in which there is a sense of
trust, of centered energy, of alignment.
Give power to that feeling with your breath and then go and do what you intend
to do. Success.
-- WHM MEDITATION -------------------------------------------------------------|
The origins of meditation date back to 5000–3500 BCE, yet it’s constantly
evolving. When you do the conscious breathing protocol, you are already doing a
form of meditation, training your mind and connecting with your innermost
depths. The principle of meditation is to follow something that does not excite
the thinking brain. We take something very simple and follow it until deep peace
comes over us. Here is one way to get acquainted with this peace.
1 Sit down in a safe, comfortable place and clear your mind.
2 Start connecting to your breath. Let yourself breathe naturally.
3 Start counting your breaths. Each inhale and exhale is one count. Count your
breaths up to seven, and then from seven back to one. If you find yourself
suddenly thinking about your daily life and your to-do list, return to
counting the breaths. You will eventually find yourself able to just count the
breaths, up to seven and back down again. The blood flow will go into the
deeper areas of your brain, awakening feeling, not thoughts. Let the feeling
become stronger. Follow the feeling and go as deep as you want. As you go
along, the counting will fade away, like a song fading out. Follow the feeling
and go deep into yourself, deep into peace.
-- WHM AT-A-GLANCE THREE PILLARS OF A DAILY PRACTICE --------------------------|
:: BREATH ::
1 While seated or lying down, take 30 to 40 full conscious breaths: Breathe
fully in to the belly and the chest, then letting go, without force.
2 On your final exhale, let the air out and hold it out for as long as you can
without discomfort. Listen to your body and don’t force it!
3 When you feel the urge to breathe again, take a deep breath in, hold for 10 to
15 seconds. Then release and relax.
4 Repeat the steps above two or three more times, paying attention to how you
feel and adjusting your breath as needed.
5 Rest in this elevated state until you are ready to move on with your day.
Alternatively, use the energy you just generated for your morning workout or
yoga practice. Experiment with what feels right for you.
Congratulations! You just influenced key drivers of your health, increased your
vitality and focus, busted your stress, reduced inflammation factors, and
optimized your immune system.
FOR COMPLETE WHM BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS AND SAFETY GUIDELINES, SEE CHAPTER 4.
:: MIND ::
Your post-breathing practice state is the perfect time to program your mindset.
Try this:
1 Before you get up from your breathing practice, bring up a thought in your
mind like “Today I’m going to stay in the cold shower for 15 more seconds than
yesterday,” or “I feel happy, healthy, and strong.”
2 Reflect on this thought and notice how your body feels.
3 If you identify any inner resistance to your intention, just keep breathing
steadily until you feel an alignment between your body and mind.
With practice, your sense of your inner experience, or interoception, will
sharpen, allowing you to more consciously observe and control your body and
mind.
SEE CHAPTER 12 FOR DETAILS.
:: COLD ::
1 At the end of your warm shower, turn the water to cold.
2 If you like you can start by first putting your feet and legs, than your arms,
then your full torso under the water.
3 Do NOT do the WHM Basic Breathing Exercise while standing in the shower.
4 Gradually extend your exposure every day until you can handle two minutes in
the cold.
5 If you are shivering when you get out, try the horse stance exercise. (See
“How Long Can You Hold a Horse Stance?” for details.)
Success! You just improved your metabolic efficiency, regulated your hormones,
further reduced inflammation, and are enjoying the endorphins and
endocannabinoids released in response to the cold.
-- WHM PROTOCOL: POWER BREATHING FOR ENDURANCE --------------------------------|
This exercise is an adaptation of the Basic Breathing Exercise to enhance
athletic performance. You can delay the deprivation of oxygen in the muscle
tissue, thereby postponing the point of lactic acidification, which leads to
fatigue and failure. The breathing exercise causes a release of adrenaline and
glucose that your body can absorb immediately and achieve better performance.
Before you begin an endurance exercise, such as long distance running or
cycling, do three to four rounds of power breathing:
1 Breathe in deeply and relax to let your breath go sixty times.
2 On the last breath, inhale fully and then hold the breath for at least fifteen
seconds (or as long as feels comfortable), squeeze your entire body toward the
head by tensing your pelvic floor and allowing that pressurized feeling to
move up your spine to the top of your head.
3 Relax to let your breath go and start a new round.
4 Start each new round with your regular WHM breathing rhythm, and then increase
the speed and intensity of your breathing as the round proceeds. This increase
is what makes this power breathing.
5 Wait a couple of minutes to ground yourself again and then begin your
endurance exercise.
6 Breathe more than you feel is necessary and stay aware of your breath during
the endurance exercise.
-- WHM AND SEXUAL PERFORMANCE -------------------------------------------------|
Athletic performance isn’t the only kind of performance that is enhanced by
practicing the method. If it can enable a man to drop down and do forty push-ups
after just one round, imagine how it might benefit you between the sheets. Jelle
Steenbeek, creator of the Lionwood program, is a WHM instructor who has found
that practicing WHM breathing with his sexual partner enhances the experience
for them both.
Ever since I’ve been instructing the Wim Hof Method, I’ve been using it to
upgrade all kinds of facets of daily life. One of my favorites is to use
breathwork to elevate the sexual experience. I’ve found that the state of mind
it generates, in combination with the extra energy created in your cells for
longer stamina, and the activation of primordial powers from our lizard brain,
can make for some serious fireworks.
Holding my spouse by the chest while sitting behind her against some pillows and
doing three or four rounds of breathing requires that we are both on the same
team. I’ve found that this is a unique and tender way to align with my partner.
WHM practice also trains my perineal muscle each time I “squeeze” in the second
retention of a breath cycle. This is one of the most important muscles for a
good sex life, for both men and women.
Another thing breathing helped me to do is slow down and give my partner more
time to enjoy herself. As a man, if you get heated and keep going, it is very
likely you’ll orgasm if you go beyond 80 percent of excitement. If you stop each
time you are there and don’t go over the edge, you are able to get to much
higher states of orgasmic joy. At each “plateau,” you stop at 80 percent, do the
breathing, and start over. You don’t start again from zero; you have a higher
base to launch from, which gets you higher. Plus, more feeling over your body is
more control over your equipment.
-- WHM PROTOCOL: ICE BATHS AND COLD PLUNGES -----------------------------------|
Getting into the cold in nature—there is nothing like it. And taking an ice bath
is an amazing way to show yourself what you are capable of. To befriend the cold
at home or in the wild, follow these steps:
1 First, find someone to share this experience with you. Ice baths and cold
plunges are safer and more fun with friends.
2 Prepare yourself by doing one or two rounds of the basic breathing exercise as
you visualize the cold water. How will it make you feel? Imagine how you will
enter the water, be it a bathtub or a lake, and how you will feel when you do
it. Assume a can-do mindset.
3 Confidently enter the water while taking deep, calm breaths. Focus on your
breath. Embrace the cold; let it take you to the depths of yourself. Do NOT
perform the WHM basic breathing technique. Instead, do long, conscious,
exhalations to bring your breath into a controlled, steady rhythm. Take deep
breaths through the nose and try to relax. Try letting out a long “Hummmmm” on
the exhale.
4 Keep your focus on your breath and your being as you exit the water. Warm up
by doing the horse stance exercise while maintaining your inner attention.
(See “How Long Can You Hold a Horse Stance?”)
The cold is our warm friend, our mirror, and our teacher. It can also be
dangerous. When you extend exposure to the cold by going into an ice bath or
open body of water, it is an intense experience. If you want to try an ice bath
or a cold plunge, make sure you are being safe and smart about it. For a
thorough training in safe cold exposure, please visit wimhofmethod.com to sign
up for one of our courses or workshops.
-- BREATHING FOR MOOD REGULATION ----------------------------------------------|
This exercise uses and trains neurostimulative brain control to help alleviate
moodiness or depression. Supplying oxygen to the brain improves a person’s well-
being. We have seen in fMRIs that the whole brain dances when subjects do the
breathing exercises. You can do this exercise whenever you feel like it, but it
can be an especially powerful exercise to try if you are feeling melancholy,
moody, or depressed. Do not force it — feel it!
1 Sit or lie down in a safe, comfortable place.
2 Feel and try to relax every part of your body. Observe and be aware of what
you are feeling, seeing, and hearing, without judgment. Just be present.
3 Take twenty deep breaths. Fully in and letting go.
4 On the last breath, breathe in deeply, hold it, press your chin toward your
chest, tense your pelvic floor, and direct that tension up your core toward
your head.
5 If you are experiencing any physical discomfort, focus your attention there
and observe. Tense the muscles in that area. Hold the breath for a maximum of
ten seconds.
6 Release the breath and all tension.
7 Repeat two or three times or until you feel better.
-- INTEROCEPTION WITH THE BREATH ----------------------------------------------|
How would you like to train your sense of interoception and sharpen your
interoceptive focus? If you are already practicing the Basic Breathing Exercise,
you are on your way. This visualization practice will take you to the next
level.
1 Sit or lie down in a safe, comfortable space and close your eyes.
2 Breathe normally, but focus on your breathing. Fully in and letting go.
3 Now consciously take a deep breath in through the nose, and exhale through the
mouth. Do not force it.
4 Visualize your lungs, and consciously feel the oxygen entering your lungs.
Interoception is now beginning.
5 Take some more deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Nice
and easy.
6 After a few more breaths, visualize the exchange of gases in your body.
Visualize the oxygen going from the lungs, through the capillaries and into
the blood, and visualize the excretion of carbon dioxide upon exhalation.
7 If you notice that your mind has started to wander, simply reset your focus to
your breath. Over time, you will learn to become more mindful and gain more
control over your mind and be less consumed by your thoughts.
8 Practice this exercise for several minutes.
-- INTEROCEPTION OF THE HEARTBEAT ---------------------------------------------|
In this exercise we are going to forge a conscious connection with the heart and
circulatory system. Because the heartbeat is involuntary, few of us pay much
attention to it or to the circulatory system it serves. But if we channel our
interoceptive focus to it, we can decrease our heart rate during times of
stress, which not only serves to relieve that stress but also to improve the
absorption of oxygen and nutrients within our cells. Here’s how:
1 Sit or lie down in a safe, comfortable space.
2 Relax.
3 Feel and visualize your heartbeat.
4 Connect with your heartbeat and try to synchronize your breath with it so that
you can feel it everywhere.
5 Now visualize your circulatory system. Visualize that with every inhalation,
oxygen-rich blood is flowing from your lungs to your heart, to every part in
your body, through a network of blood vessels that could wrap around the earth
two and a half times. Imagine how your blood provides oxygen and nutrients to
organs and muscles, and transports waste products (like carbon dioxide) to
your liver, kidneys, and lungs.
6 Reconnect with your heartbeat and try to synchronize your breath with it again
7 Make a journey through your body and try to feel the heartbeat in different
parts of it. If you focus on your hand, feel the heartbeat there, and if you
focus on your feet, feel the blood flow from your ankles to your toes.
This is connecting your mind and your body. This is interoceptive focus. A
couple of minutes per day is enough to help you deepen this connection and reap
the benefits of it.
-- UNITE WITH THE LIGHT: THE “STROBOSCOPE” EXERCISE ---------------------------|
Beautiful being, beautiful soul, would you like to illuminate your
consciousness? Come, just lie here on the sofa. Are you comfortable? Do you feel
good? Hey, what did you do this morning? You say you woke up? I did the same
thing! Wow, parallel universe. You say you have stress, tension, all that mental
shit? Whatever you are thinking, I don’t care. Let it go. Let it go. Now all
there is for you to do is relax and breathe. Just drop everything and get into
this breathing. We are all lightworkers. Work with the light and get free.
1 Sit in a relaxed, comfortable position.
2 Close your eyes, follow your breath, witness yourself calming down.
3 Just look at what you see with your eyes closed. Don’t try to see anything in
particular. Be patient. In this way, your energy is able to disconnect from
the external perception of the visual cortex and go into the deeper realms of
the brain.
4 Keep following your breath, and turn your inner focus to the center of your
forehead, the “third eye.” You may see a luminous halo that pulses with your
breath — in, out, in, out, like the flashing light from a stroboscope. You
might feel you want to look more directly at it, but then you will take away
the intensity. Learn to let it be. This is a phenomenal way to subtly observe
the neural activity of your brain.
Once you have some experience with this meditation, try adding the focus on the
center of your forehead to the Basic Breathing Exercise. You may start to have
spontaneous experiences of your inner light.
:: How To Get Warm ::
1. Sit Down
2. Inhale slowly and deeply six times, letting your breath go naturally each
time
3. Inhale fully
4. Relax to exhale
5. Inhale fully
6. Tense your upper-back muscles and chest, keep your head and jaw relaxed, and
hold your breath for five seconds
7. Relax to exhale
:: Ice Bath For Warmer Hands and Feet ::
1. Fill a bucket with 1/3 ice and 2/3 water
2. Direct your mental focus to your hands or feet
3. Place your hands or feet into the ice bucket
4. Hold your hands or feet in the bucket for two minutes. At some point they
should begin to feel warm
5. Remove your hands or feet from the bucket, but keep your mental focus on
them.
6. Shake them out several times to encourage the blood flow into your newly
awakened extremities.
> Push-ups (50) each morning, as soon as you wake up